Shock-absorbing device for watch balance staffs



June 5, 1951 I I c -r 2,555,412

SHOCK-ABSORBING DEVICE FOR WATCH BALANCE STAFFS Filed June 26, 1947 III! a Mew/w KMEc/rr Y A TTORIVC Y Patented June 5, 1951 SHOCK-ABSORBING DEVICE FOR WATCH BALANCE s'rAFFs Henri Knecht, Porrentruy, Switzerland, assignor to Societe Horlogere de Porrentruy Phenix Watch 00. S. A., Porrentruy, Switzerland, a

Swiss firm Application June 26, 1947, Serial No. 757,287 In Switzerland May 11, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires May 11, 1963 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in shock-absorbing devices for watch balance-staffs and more particularly in such devices in which at least the pierced jewel of the balance-staff hearing is held in the center of the aperture of the bearing holder by a resilient device.

An important feature of the invention resides in that this resilient device is formed integral of a single piece with the bearing holder.

The accompanying drawings represent, by way of example, a practical embodiment of the invention and a modification of detail parts thereof.

Fig. l is a sectional view taken along the axis of the balance-staff.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cock from below, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modification taken along the axis of the balance-staff.

In Fig. l of the drawings, A'designates the face plate and 5 the cock which support the bearings of the lower pivot 6 and of the upper pivot I respectively, of a watch-balance-staff. Each of the bearings comprises a pierced jewel 8 and a cap jewel 9 both of them being set in a bush l0.

The cock 5 with which is integrally formed the ring II for rotatably supporting the regulator arm [1, is shown having a cylindrical recess [2, in the comparatively thin bottom I3 of which there are punched apertures I6 defining a resilient device composed of a central ring I4 and of two cranked lugs [5 connecting the ring M to the side wall of the recess l2; the upper bearing is held in the central ring l4 by the inwardly protruding cylindrical portion 8' of its pierced jewel 8 which is set in said ring; the lugs 15 are double cranked and their median portion extend concentrically to the central ring l4 through 90. Their shape and arrangement enable them to resiliently yield to the radial as well as to the axial shocks.

A similar resilient device is further punched in the bottom 23 of a cylindrical recess 22 of the face plate 4 and is intended to resiliently hold the bearing for the lower pivot 6 of the balancestaff.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 is only distinguished from the first embodiment in that the central ring 34 of the resilient device punched in the bottom 33 of a recess 32 of the cock 5 is thicker than the resilient lugs 35 which connect it to the side wall of the recess; the pierced jewel and the cap jewel are set directly in the ring 34 which thus assumes the function of the bush H] in the former construction.

The device as described and shown in the drawings presents with respect to the other known shock-absorbing devices the advantage of an extremely simplified manufacturing process. After a cylindrical recess has been provided, for instance by milling, in the cook or in the face plate, leaving a comparatively thin bottom, the resilient device is punched in said bottom and the bore of the central ring is then rectified, as with a punch; simultaneously the means for positioning the cock with respect to the faceplate are also rectified in order to attain a correct centering of the bearings. It will be understood that the resilient device could support the pierced jewel alone, in which event a separate resilient device should be provided for supporting the cap jewel. Furthermore if desired the pierced jewel should be replaced by a pierced metal plate which should even be constituted by the central ring of the resilient device itself. The resilient device might show any suitable shape and the recess does not need to be cylindrical. It will be further understood that the regulator-supporting ring may be secured to the cock instead of being formed integral therewith.

What I claim is:

1. In a watch construction having a balance staff with a pivot, a movement frame member formed of resilient material and having a hole adapted to receive a bearing for rotatably supporting the pivot of said balance staff, a continuous ring surrounding said hole and providing a support for said bearing, and an annular portion surrounding said ring, said annular portion being substantially thinner than the surrounding portion of said frame member, said ring and said annular portion being integral with, and of the same material as, said frame member, and said annular portion being severed along lines having both radial and circumferential components, said lines of severance being spaced from said hole and leaving integral resilient portions of said material which connect said ring with the portion of said movement frame member surrounding said annular portion and extend in a direction having both radial and circumferential components.

2. In a watch construction having a balance staff with a pivot, a movement frame member formed of resilient material and having a circular hole adapted to receive a bearing for rotatably supporting the pivot of said balance staff, a continuous ring surrounding said hole and providing a support for said bearing, and an annular portion surrounding said ring, said annular portion being substantially thinner than the surrounding portion of said frame member, said ring and said annular portion being integral with, and of the same material as, said frame member and said annular portion being severed along lines having both radial and circumferential components to provide apertures spaced from said circular hole and leaving a plurality of equally spaced integral resilient portions of said material which connect said ring with the portion of said movement frame member surrounding said annular portion and. extend in a direction having both radial and circumferential components.

HENRI KNECHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

